The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-02
KNIGHTSOF THE ROAD
Daring Robbery When Stage
Robbing Was Common.
TIMES THAT TRY MEMS SOULS
A Cowardly Lieutenant and P1ucky
Ranchman-StIll Hunt. Vengeance
and Compensation.

b. There were five men of US in one OF
the old Mariposa stage coaches before
the days of the railroad, andi was 5
o'clock in the afternoon of an August
dey. We were on our way to Stockton,
and of the passengers one was lieu.
tenant in the regular army, another a
tourist in search of health, and a third
B ranchman, and the other two were
prospectors and miners. None of US
had met each other previous to the
start. Those were perilous time, and
the first half hour was spent in sizing
each other up. I don't know to what
conclusion the others came, but looked
over the four men and said to myself:
The lieutenant ought to fight IN case
we are attacked, but he seems TOO ner-
Yous to be gamey. The tourist is i'll,
and has no sand, and the ranchman
and prospectors can be depended on"
At that time the coach which was not
stopped twice out OF five trips was con-
sidered very lucky. In some few in.
stances the robbers were driven off, b 1t
in most cases the passengers submitted
to being "held up" and were glad to
get off with nothing worse. 1 had
with me over $6 900 in bank bills and
gold and l was determined not to part
with that money without fight. The
ranchman had $1,000 and the miner
about So 900, as was afterward learned,
ana both had determined to fight. We
mad Just forded the Mercer river, and
| had to come to lonely stretch of road
when the ranchman pulled his revolver
and examined the caps. 1t was not
restored to the holster when we heard
a shout. the report of pistol and the
stage came to full stop. | reached
for my pistol, as did the miner, know
ing that robbers were at hand, but be-
fore mine was out the lieutenant flung
his arms around me and cried out:
For Gods sake make no move or we
shall all be murdered! Let them take
all we have"
At the same time the tourist aung
himself upon the miner, and neither OF
Us had weapon out when a robber
showed himself at either door. The
ranchman was ready, however and he
killed the man on his side. He would
have also killed the other. but his reVol
yer failed on the second shot, and 1.-THE
rubber pushed his revolver in and fred
with the muzzle pressed against the
poor fellows heart. A third robber
then came up. and We were covered
from either door and called upon to
sur ender. The jig was up, and we
climbed out delivering our pistols butt
foremost as we left the stage. There
were four Of US and only two robbers,
but when a man has the drop on you
and means business it's no. use to kick
We were placed in q row, and while one
of the fellows kept us covered, the other
went through each man in turn. The
lieutenant shelled out watch and $40
the tourist, watch and $40, and they
got from the other two of us the sums
| have previously named. [ had my
bank bills in my boot-legs, but as We
were forced to strip to our shirts. they
found every last dollar. While we
were dressing, the body OF the ranch
stripped and robbed.
| have no doubt that the robbers
meant to shoot every one of us after
securing the plumber in order to avenge
the death of their comrade, but the un-
usually large booty put them in good
spirits, and they underwent a change
of heart. The one who searched US
stepped over the dead body a dozen
times without seeming to care whether
it was log or man. When finally
through with US he bent over the dead
body and began robblng it, saying to his
COMPANION.
BILL won't have any more use for
money and We might as well take his
dollars along. Poor Bull We shan't
never play poker together again.
When they were ready to go they cut
the harness so that the stage would be
detained couple of hours, broke up or
carried off every frearm, and drank to
our health from flask the tourist had
with him. They made Off for the foot
hills to the east, having so little care
for US that neither of them once looked
back. | was mad and no mistake, and
the miner gave utterance to his feelings
in curses which almost cracked the
stones around US. We had been rob-
bed of our every dollar, and, with tn
money, our every prospect. The tourist
could get more at Stockton, and the
lieutenant was out only a few dollars
anyway. was not yet dressed when
he began TO put on airs over US, claim
ing that II we had not been 80 hasty We
would have managed the affair to the
defeat of the robbers. This added to
my anger and sailed in and pounded
him until he yelled for mercy.
1t was just sunset when the stage was
ready to 90 on. but there were two OF
us who did not propose to go that way.
We were unarmed, but determined, and
while the stage numbered off down the
rough road we found club apiece and
set out on the trail of the robbers.
Luckily for us, the miner had been long
in the country and seen a good deal of
the hunters life. We therefore had no
difficulty in following the trail until
darkness came on. The fellows made
directly for ire foothills, and we had
no doubt that they had some sort of q
cave or stronghold out there. They
took matters so coolly that they couIn
not have been great way ahead of us
when darkness fell. was then for
resting until daylight, but the miner
urged that we should push on. From
the topography of the country he felt
certain that ravine or rift would be
found not far away. We were then
between the foothills and the true
mountain, in a narrow valley, and
full moon had come up. Without this